Governance

In December 1996, a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, Raukura Hauora o Tainui and Te Whānau o Waipareira to provide an integrated and collaborative entity that cemented Māori Public Health services in one central point, creating the organisation of Hāpai Te Hauora Tapui.

Hāpai are owned and governed by these three organisations who work to collectively work to address inequities for Maori whānau, hapū and iwi specifically across Tamaki Makaurau, but also across Aotearoa.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua is constituted as a body corporate by the Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua Act 1988 and is a Māori Trust Board under the Māori Trust Boards Act 1955.

It is the sole representative body and authorised voice to deal with issues affecting the whole of Ngāti Whātua. This authority was given by the tribe at a hui-a-iwi held at the Ōtamatea marae on Saturday 20th February 1993.

It is also a Mandated Iwi Organisation and Iwi Aquaculture Organisation for the purposes of the Māori Fisheries Act 2004.

The Rūnanga represents five takiwa:

Orākei

South Kaipara

Otamatea

Whangarei

Northern Wairoa

Representation from all takiwa on the Rūnanga board is afforded according to a marae ward system based on the numerical presence of a marae.

The health arm of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, Te Kahu Pokere, is the Auckland Based provider of health, social, education and youth services and service the Northland, Waitemata and Auckland DHB regions.

Raukura Hauora o Tainui, as the health, social service, education and justice provider for Tainui, was established in 1983 as a result of an identified need concerning major disparities in employment, health, education and housing by the Tainui tribe (Tainui Report, 1983). It is on this basis that Tainui Kaumatua and Kuia resolved to pursue the dream of Princess Te Puea Herangi and reclaim their health and wellness needs.

In 1991 Raukura Hauora O Tainui became a legal entity and delivered community health promotion program, which progressed into Primary Health Care, with the first GP clinic, located at Waahi Marae. In 1995 Raukura Hauora O Tainui ki Tamaki was established.

The ethos of the organizations aspirations is its acceptance and appreciation of Maori culture, social structures and rituals of encounter. These continue to be the basis of planning, development and implementation of all health care programs offered by the organisation.

Raukura Hauora o Tainui predominantly service Māori, Pacific, and high needs whānau with the Tamaki and Waikato, and the Waikato and Counties Manukau DHB regions. The organisation holds a variety of services to provide a range of primary and community health care services to the community is serve at low to no cost. Raukura Hauora have a strong Tikanga based approach to providing better health solutions for all.

Te Whānau o Waipareira was established in 1984 to address the decades of high unemployment, poor housing, low education and other associated issues for urban Māori in Tamaki Makaurau.

Waipareira is an Urban Māori Authority that has constantly evolved over a period of more than 30 years to meet the needs of the West Auckland community for whom we serve with the delivery of a large portfolio of services in the sectors of justice, social services, education and health.

Core values and principles underpin everything Waipareira offers and these values predicate all service models and contract negotiations. They were established and endorsed by Waipareira whānau, kaumātua rōpū, the governance board, and kaimahi.

Waipareira predominantly serve Māori, Pacific, and high needs whānau within Waitakere City and the Waitematā DHB region. The long term focus is to have self-sufficient whānau who are able to choose their own direction and outcomes. The organisations intention is to ensure that whānau are the centre of everything and that they are given all support required to achieve improved health, social, education, justice and whānau outcomes.